AmericanTheaterWeb Original News & Reviews

Grammy Award-winner and actress Ashanti, The View's Joy Behar, Sex and the City's Mario Cantone, Academy Award-nominated actor/writer/director Buck Henry, Ugly Betty's Mark Indelicato, Jersey Boys' Daniel Reichard, Gossip Girl's Matthew Settle, and Cheers' George Wendt will be among the cast of The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, a one-night-only benefit performance celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the Broadway smash Wicked. Also scheduled to perform are former cast members of the musical blockbuster, including Shoshana Bean and Stephanie J. Block, both of whom played Elphaba; Kate Reinders and Jennifer Laura Thompson who both played the role of Glinda; Michelle Federer, who originated the role of Nessarose; and current cast members P.J. Benjamin, Cristy Candler, Ben Liebert, and Timothy Britten Parker.

In The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, Wicked composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman will share scenes and songs from early drafts of the musical blockbuster. Featuring never-before-seen material, as well as songs cut during the show's development and pre-Broadway engagement, this one-night-only event will tell the story of Wicked the way it's never been told before and will illuminate the various paths the writers took in creating what has become one of the most popular Broadway musicals.

Additional performers for the evening include current cast members Sonshine Allen, Jerad Bortz, Adam Fleming, Anthony Galde, Kristen Leigh Gorski, Reed Kelly, Kenway Hon Wai K. Kua, Kyle Dean Massey, Lindsay K. Northen, Robert Pendilla, Amanda Rose, Heather Spore, CJ Tyson, Brian Wanee, Jonathan Warren, Katie Webber, Robin Wilner, and Samantha Zack.

The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, directed by Matt Lenz with musical direction by Ben Cohn, will take place on Monday, October 27 at 7:30pm at the Gershwin Theatre (222 West 51st Street). The evening's proceeds will be donated to Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project. Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com/wicked. All casting is subject to change.

Prime Benefit tickets are $1000 (includes Premium Seats, post show VIP party and special Wicked gift bag); Premium Benefit Tickets are $500 (Prime Orchestra Seats and special WICKED gift bag), and Super Orchestra Tickets $350 (Orchestra Seats and special WICKED gift bag). Tickets for the performance only are also available from $250 - $50.